SOMEONE w/ Electrical Know-how???

[NY94J30]

Is there any reason that I couldn't/shouldn't switch the wiring b/w my parking lights and turn signals?

I think that the turn signals in the J should have been fogs to begin with.

What I was thinking was finding the same gauge wire, splicing it to extend the length, and then cutting and switching the harnesses (so that they fit in the housings) then running the parking light wire to the turn signals and the vice versa.

The parking lights are only 5w, but i think the reflective coating in the turn signal housing will look bright enough with a yellow bulb.

Any comments, I'm far from an electrical genius, so please let me know if I'm far off on this one.

[f8sjester]

if you don't have the specs for those lights laying around to compare, i'd probably invest in a voltmeter and make sure those 2 sockets have the same voltage/current draw. . .

nothing's more annoying than replacing a bunch of lightbulbs that keep blowing out whenever you plug them in. . .

[NY94J30]

So do the sockets dictate the current draw? So that if I traded them out (spliced the parking light sockets onto the turn signal wires and vice-versa) they would function the same - or does the wiring dictate the current, so that if I switched them out the currents would be mismatched and blowing bulbs?

BTW - The turn signal is a 27W 1156, and the parking light is a 5W wedge.

Also will a simple soldered and isolated splice using the same gauge wire be okay to lengthen the wire to the sockets?

[robmcole]

I have often thought the same thing. I am glad someone is researching into this. The existing wiring should be able to handle 27 watts. I guess the question resides in the relays.

So if the parking lights use the turn signal wires, the former parking lights will only be lit if the turn signal is on. Maybe a relay could be installed and the use of dual filament bulbs? And if it could be handled, is there a higher wattage 1156 that could be used as fog lights (27+)?

-Robert Cole Birmingham, AL.

[NY94J30]

I'm not so much researching as hitting up my fellow NICO members for their knowledge - thus far I've got alot of lookers, but not many takers.

I'm mechanically inclined and understand the basic systems, but electrical systems are not something I have any knowledge of.

[Jeff Williams]

I am no electrician, but I do know that if you put to bright a bulb (wattage), you can melt the wires, from the higher resistance. Check the wires, to see if the insulation and wire is the same. If not, I would not suggest doing the swap. The wire may be able to handle the voltage, but hte insulation may not be able to handle the heat of the resistance. If you go with brighter bulbs, the resistance is higher, and the heat is higher.

Your turn signal light might be dimmer, but who pays attention to those, anyway. Not in Alabama.

It sounds like you want to put driving lights in your turn signal lenses/housings.

Be careful of raising the wattage too much. LED bubls do not create nearly as much resistance or heat as the standard bulbs. I owuld suggest doing some research in these.

A lot of Hot Rod magazines have adds for companies that specialize in custom LED bubls. You might find some help there.